/J?2- 


MANUAL 

CONSTITUTION 
AND  BY-LAWS 

- OF  THE - 

MISSION  BOARD 
OF  THE  CHRISTIAN 
CHURCH  in  AMERICA 


REVISED  and  ADOPTED 
OCTOBER  19,  1916 


OUR  ANNUITY  PLAN 


FOR  THE  DONOR  IT  IS 

Better  than  a  farm,  as  there  are  no 
taxes  to  pay  or  repairs  to  make. 

Better  than  a  mortgage,  as  there  is  no 
care,  anxiety  or  uncertainty  in  mak¬ 
ing  investments. 

Better  than  cash  in  hand,  as  it  is 
constantly  bringing  an  income. 

The  annuitant  enjoys  a  certain  fixed  in¬ 
come  while  his  money  is  on  its  mission  of 
usefulness  for  the  Lord’s  cause. 

FOR  THE  MISSION  BOARD  IT  IS 

Better  than  small  gifts. 

Better  than  occasional  gifts. 

Better  than  a  bequest. 

It  insures  the  best  possible  use  of  money 
during  life  or  at  death. 

A  bond  is  executed  for  the  prompt  and 
faithful  payment  of  the  interest. 

You  want  to  know  more  about  it?  A 
postal  card  or  letter  will  bring  you  a  leaflet 
giving  further  information,  with  a  blank 
form  of  the  bond  that  is  executed. 


OMER  S.  THOMAS,  M.  T.  MORRILL, 

Mission  Secretaries,  Dayton,  Ohio 


MANUAL 

CONSTITUTION 

AND 

BY-LAWS 


OF  THE 

MISSION  BOARD  OF  THE 
CHRISTIAN  CHURCH 
IN  AMERICA 


Revised  and  Adopted  October  19,  1916 


DAYTON,  OHIO 

PUBLISHED  BY  THE  MISSION  BOARD 
C.  P.  A.  BUILDING 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2018  with  funding  from 
Columbia  University  Libraries 


https://archive.org/details/manualconstitutiOOchri 


INTRODUCTION 


The  Mission  Board  of  the  Christian 
Church  is  elected  quadrennially  by  The 
American  Christian  Convention,  the  Home 
Mission  Secretary  and  four  members  consti¬ 
tuting  a  board  of  directors  for  the  Home 
Mission  Department,  and  the  Foreign  Mis¬ 
sion  Secretary  and  four  other  members  a 
board  of  directors  for  the  Foreign  Mission 
Department.  This  Board  is  charged  with 
the  duty  of  “managing  with  energy  and 
prudence”  the  missionary  interests  of  the 
denomination  known  as  “The  Christians”  or 
“The  Christian  Church”of  the  United  States 
and  Canada,  whether  those  interests  be  at 
home  or  abroad.  The  Woman’s  Board  for 
Home  Missions  and  the  Woman’s  Board  for 
Foreign  Missions  are  auxiliary  to  The 
American  Christian  Convention,  and  work 
in  harmony  with  the  general  Mission  Board. 

The  spiritual  aspects  of  the  missionary 
work  are  entitled  to  the  foremost  place  in 
the  thought  and  affections  of  all  who  engage 
in  it.  Applicants  for  missionary  appointment 
should  be  under  a  sense  of  divine  call,  and 
should  seek  their  reward  in  their  blessed 
Lord’s  approval.  For  His  sake  they  should 
be  willing  to  make  sacrifices,  meet  hard¬ 
ships,  endure  privations,  accept  a  life  of 
steady,  unnoticed  labor,  expecting  to  con¬ 
tinue  until  death,  looking  for  reward  and 
rest  in  the  world  to  come.  In  these  and 
similar  purposes,  endeavors  and  hopes,  they 
and  the  Board  and  all  friends  of  missions 

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should  stand  together  in  mutual  sympathy. 
Harmonious  and  pleasant  relations  and  co¬ 
operation  between  missionaries  themselves 
and  between  them  and  the  Board  and  its 
executive  officers,  depend  far  less  on  formal 
rules  than  on  their  common  experience  of 
God’s  love  and  love  for  God’s  creatures,  and 
mutual  interest  in  the  cause  for  which 
Christ  gave  His  life.  It  is  in  no  sense  un¬ 
dervaluing  these  principles,  but  rather  to 
further  them,  that  this  Manual  is  given 
chiefly  to  the  business  relations  of  the  Board 
and  its  missionaries. 


4 


MANUAL 


This  Manual  is  for  the  guidance  of  the 
Mission  Board  of  the  Christian  Church,  and 
its  missions,  missionaries  and  applicants  for 
appointment  to  mission  service. 

FOREIGN  MISSIONS 


I.  Foreign  Missionaries 

DUTIES  OF 

1.  The  functions  of  the  missionary  are  to 
preach  the  Gospel,  found  churches,  teach 
and  train  native  workers,  translate  the 
Word  of  God  when  necessary,  create  and 
circulate  Christian  literature  and  whatever 
else  may  be  necessary  for  the  promotion  of 
Christianity  in  his  respective  field. 

2.  He  should  not  become  pastor  of  a  na¬ 
tive  church,  but  should  labor  to  secure  com¬ 
petent  native  pastors  for  the  native 
churches,  while  he  himself  should  go  on  win¬ 
ning  converts  to  Christ  and  establishing  and 
founding  new  churches  as  he  may  be  provi¬ 
dentially  led. 

3.  The  wives  of  missionaries,  and  espe¬ 
cially  if  under  appointment,  are  expected  to 
do  all  they  can,  consistent  with  their  domeg- 


tic  duties,  to  promote  the  work  of  the  mis¬ 
sion.  They,  with  all  lay  helpers,  should 
make  all  their  work  subservient  to  the  one 
great  aim  of  giving  the  Gospel  to  the  people 
and  bringing  them  to  Christ. 

QUALIFICATIONS 

4.  The  following  qualifications  should  be 
possessed  by  those  who  seek  appointment  as 
missionaries : 

1.  Strong  faith  in  God  and  an  unshaken 
belief  in  His  Word. 

2.  Earnest  love  for  God  and  fellow  men. 

3.  A  self-sacrificing  devotion  to  Christ 
and  His  cause. 

4.  Sound  judgment  of  men  and  things. 

5.  Good  intellectual  training,  preferably 
collegiate  or  its  equivalent. 

6.  An  aptitude  for  learning  languages. 

7.  A  hopeful  and  cheerful  spirit. 

8.  Tact,  and  adaptability  to  people  of  all 
classes  and  conditions. 

9.  Ability  to  work  harmoniously  with 
others. 

10.  Persistent  energy  in  carrying  out 
plans  once  well  formed. 

11.  A  sound  physical  constitution. 

12.  A  conviction  that  God  is  calling  to 
this  special  line  of  work. 

13.  A  reliance  on  the  Holy  Spirit  to 
make  efficient  all  other  qualifications  and 
give  success  in  the  work. 

(Missionary  candidates  should  apply  to  the  Foreign 
Mission  Secretary  for  application  and  medical  exam¬ 
ination  blanks.) 


6 


5.  Ordinarily,  missionaries,  before  being 
sent  out,  should  have  the  test  of  practical 
work  at  home;  for  if  one  has  not  tact  and 
ability  in  winning  souls  at  home,  the  proba¬ 
bilities  are  that  he  will  have  little  abroad. 

It  is  recommended  that,  when  practicable, 
before  going  to  the  field  at  least  one  year’s 
course  should  be  taken  in  some  good  mission¬ 
ary  training  school,  and  some  experience 
had  in  city  mission  work. 

SELECTION  AND  APPOINTMENT 

6.  In  case  of  ministerial  applicants,  before 
any  appointment  is  made,  the  Board  should 
have  official  recommendation  from  the  Chris¬ 
tian  conference  of  which  the  applicant  is  a 
member,  that  he,  or  she,  is  in  every  way 
worthy,  and  possesses  the  qualifications  and 
aptitude  for  the  work  which  the  appoint¬ 
ment  contemplates.  If  unordained,  or  not  a 
member  of  a  conference,  then  an  official 
statement  from  the  Christian  church  of 
which  the  applicant  is  a  member  should  be 
had  that  he,  or  she,  is  in  good  standing  in 
the  same,  is  in  hearty  sympathy  with  the 
denomination,  and  possesses  the  qualifica¬ 
tions  as  above. 

7.  Conference  and  church  officers  should 
recommend  such,  and  only  such,  as  they 
would  select  and  be  willing  to  support,  if 
able  to  do  so,  as  their  own  representative 
in  the  field ;  and  should  always  seek  by 
earnest  prayer  the  guidance  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  before  making  such  recommenda¬ 
tions. 

Other  testimonials  may  be  had  from  min¬ 
isters,  professors  or  other  Christian  work¬ 
ers,  who  have  had  opportunity  to  know  and 
judge  of  the  character  and  qualifications  of 
the  applicant.  These  testimonials  should  be 

7 


sent  directly  to  the  Foreign  Mission  Secre¬ 
tary  and  are  to  be  held  as  private  and  con¬ 
fidential.  Applicants  should  forward  to  the 
Foreign  Mission  Secretary  the  names  and 
addresses  of  persons  who  may  be  corre¬ 
sponded  with  in  reference  to  the  testimo¬ 
nials. 

8.  As  a  rule  application  should  be  made 
one  year  before  time  to  start  for  the 
field. 

SUPPORT 

9.  From  the  time  he  enters  the  field  until 
he  leaves  it,  the  missionary  will  be  paid  the 
salary  fixed  by  the  Board.  It  is  expected 
that  the  salary  will  be  sufficient,  with  wise 
economy,  for  the  support  of  the  missionary; 
not  sufficient  to  compensate  for  defects  in 
the  missionary’s  financial  ability,  nor  so 
small  that  the  more  prudent  may  not  have 
something  to  spare.  Special  needs  may 
sometimes  arise  which  may  require  special 
provision. 

FIELD  SALARIES 


10.  All  salaries  shall  be  determined  by  the 
Board,  and  shall  take  into  consideration  the 
needs  and  expenses  of  missionaries  accord¬ 
ing  to  countries,  fields  and  stations  where 
they  are  located. 

(1)  For  Japan:  Married  men  shall  re f 
ceive  flytOO  per  year,  and  single  men  $8007 * 
single  womeu^OO  per  year. 

For  Porto  Rico:  Married  men  shall  re- 
ceive  $1,000  per  year,  single  men  $800,  and 
single  women  $660j - — — - — '•  * 

(2)  Children’s  Allowance:  For  depend¬ 


ent  missionary  children  in  Japan,  up  to  the 
age  of  twenty  years,  the  following  sched¬ 
ule  shall  apply:  $4-00  for  each  child  under 


/  i^/jr 

years;  $460-  for  each  child  over- S&-~ 
years;  and  $200for  each  childlsent  to  Amer¬ 
ica  for  schooling  3S~* 

For  missionary  children  m  Porto  Rico,  $50  jjj.  ^ 
each,  up  to  the  age  of  twenty  years. 

(3)  Rent:  Mission  homes  or  a  reason-  J 

able  equivalent  in  rent  shall  be  provided  for 

all  missionary  families  and  single  mission¬ 
aries. 

(4)  Medical  bills:  The  Board  will  pay 

the  medical  bills  of  missionary  families^  and^,  J  £ 
single  missionaries  in-exo©ss-of-$25'per  year.  £\s  g 
Such  bills  shall  be  reported  to  the  Missions, 
and  the  Missions  shall  authorize  payment. 

(5)  Where  the  child  of  a  missionary  on 
the  field  is  being  sent  home  for  education, 
his  traveling  expenses  shall  be  paid  the 
same  as  if  he  were  traveling  with  his  par¬ 
ents  on  furlough. 


FURLOUGH  SALARIES 


11.  (1)  The  furlough  salaries  of  all  mis¬ 

sionary  families  shall  be  $@00-por-yearr:sAuih 
children’s  -alkwanees.  of  $.50  per-  year  for  ' 
oach  dependent-ohild  up  talhe.age  of  twenty  '  . 

years,— except  that  -allowance  for  children 
at— school— in—  America  shall  be  as  above 
stated.  Reasonable  house  rent  shall  also  be 
provided.  Single  men  shall  have-  $700  per 
year.  Single  women  sh-aH  have  $450  per 


y«m 

(2)  Regular  salary  shall  cease  when  a 
missionary  leaves  his  field,  and  furlough 
salary  shall  begin  when  he  reports  from  his 
home  in  this  country.  Furlough  salary 
shall  cease  when  he  leaves  home,  and  regu¬ 
lar  salary  shall  begin  when  he  reaches  his 
field. 

(3)  Furlough  accounts  shall  be  kept  by 
the  Treasurer  of  the  Mission  Board  in 
America. 


9 


MISCELLANEOUS 


(1)  It  is  understood  that  the  Board  shall 
amply  provide  for  the  maintenance  of  mis¬ 
sionaries  and  their  expense  in  going  to  and 
from  the  field,  and  hence  the  cessation  of 
salary  during  travel. 

(2)  The  Board  shall  be  free  to  make 
special  grants  for  missionary  support,  as 
emergencies  on  the  field  may  require. 

(3)  The  Board  will  pay  for  the  neces¬ 
sary  outfit  of  missionaries  going  to  the  field 
for  the  first  time.  The  question  of  outfits 
after  furlough  shall  be  submitted  to  the 
Board  as  cases  arise. 

(4)  Furniture  bought  with  outfit  money 
shall  be  mission  property. 

(5)  The  Board  will  pay  traveling  ex¬ 
pense  and  freight  on  a  reasonable  amount  of 
household  goods  by  the  nearest  and  most 
practicable  route  to  the  field.  It  is  under¬ 
stood  that  travel  shall  be  by  the  most  direct 
routes,  unless  the  Board  otherwise  deter¬ 
mines. 

(6)  The  Board  will  pay  for  necessary 
language  teachers  and  interpreters. 

FURLOUGHS 

12.  The  appointment  of  missionaries  con¬ 
templates  service  for  life,  if  the  Lord  wills. 
Occasional  furloughs,  however,  are  in  com¬ 
plete  accord  with  such  service.  Therefore, 
at  appropriate  times,  and  for  sufficient  rea¬ 
sons,  consent  will  be  given  to  the  return  of 
the  missionary,  the  Board  paying  the  neces¬ 
sary  cost  from  the  field,  by  the  most  direct 
route,  to  the  missionary’s  home  in  this  coun¬ 
try.  Such  returns  may  be  beneficial  to  the 
missionary  and  to  the  home  churches. 

10 


Missionaries  to  Japan:  For  unmarried 
ladies  six  years  of  service  shall  entitle  them 
to  a  furlough  of  one  year,  and  m  case  of 
families  seven  years  of  service  shall  entitle 

them  to  a  furlough  of  one  year. 

• 

Missionaries  to  Porto  Rico:  On  account 
of  the  debilitating  effect  of  the  continuously 
hot  climate  and  the  consequent  more  urgent 
need  of  a  change,  a  furlough  of  from  two  to 
three  months  at  intervals  of  from  two  and 
one-half  to  three  years,  as  the  physical 
needs  may  require,  may  be  allowed. 

(For  other  countries  the  periods  for  fur¬ 
lough  may  be  fixed  as  the  wisdom  of  the 
Board  may  indicate.) 

Where  a  critical  condition  of  health,  or 
other  extreme  cases,  exist,  furloughs  may  be 
granted  at  other  periods.  In  such  cases  the 
request,  with  a  statement  of  the  reasons 
therefor,  with  the  approval  of  the  Mission, 
should  be  submitted  to  the  Board.  In  cases 
that  do  not  admit  of  delay  the  approval  of 
the  Mission  shall  be  deemed  sufficient,  the 
action  to  be  promptly  reported  to  the  Board. 

Unless  otherwise  fixed  by  the  Mission 
Board,  the  furlough  shall  not  continue  be¬ 
yond  one  year  from  the  time  of  leaving  the 
field.  Missionaries  home  on  furlough  are 
expected  to  give  such  time  to  the  interests  of 
the  work  among  the  home  churches,  under 
the  direction  of  the  Foreign  Mission  Secre¬ 
tary,  as  may  be  deemed  consistent  with 
needed  rest  and  recuperation. 

RIGHT  TO  RECALL 

13.  The  Board  reserves  the  right  to  recall 
missionaries  or  revoke  their  appointment  for 
sufficient  reasons.  When  the  usefulness  of 
any  missionary  on  the  field  where  he  has 

11 


been  laboring  is  open  to  serious  question,  it 
shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Mission  to  make  in¬ 
vestigation,  and  report  its  judgment  to  the 
Board.  After  the  connection  of  missionaries 
with  the  Board  has  terminated,  no  payment 
of  money  on  their  account  shall ’be  made  by 
the  Treasurer  of  the  Mission,  except  by  au¬ 
thority  of  the  Board. 

II.  The  Mission 

EEFINITION 

14.  A  Mission  shall  consist  of  the  mission¬ 
aries  appointed  by  the  Board  and  located 
within  certain  specified  territory,  and  or¬ 
ganized  for  the  transaction  of  business.  It 
shall  meet  once  a  year,  or  oftener  if  neces¬ 
sary,  at  the  call  of  the  Chairman  of  the 
Mission,  or  of  three  missionaries,  and  shall 
keep  a  full  and  accurate  record  of  its  pro¬ 
ceedings,  a  copy  of  which  shall  be  forwarded 
to  the  home  Board. 

VOTING 

15.  All  commissioned  missionaries  and  mis¬ 
sionaries’  wives  shall  have  equal  privileges 
in  the  meetings  of  the  Mission,  except  that 
no  missionary  shall  be  entitled  to  vote  until 
he  shall  have  been  in  the  field  six  months, 
and  no  person  suspended  or  dismissed  from 
service  shall  have  any  voice  in  Mission 
meetings. 


AD  INTERIM  COMMITTEE 

16.  The  Mission  may,  if  thought  needful, 
appoint  an  Ad  Interim  Committee  to  trans¬ 
act  such  business  as  may  require  action  be¬ 
tween  meetings  of  the  Mission.  But  its  ac¬ 
tion  should  be  submitted  to  the  next  meeting 
of  the  Mission. 


12 


OFFICERS  AND  THEIR  DUTIES 


17.  Each  Mission  shall  have  a  chairman,  a 
secretary,  and  a  treasurer.  One  person  may 
be  eligible  to  the  office  of  both  secretary  and 
treasurer.  The  Mission  may  elect  its  own 
officers,  as  above  provided  for,  and  station 
secretaries  and  sub-treasurers  when  they 
are  considered  necessary.  The  station  sub¬ 
treasurers  shall  be  held  accountable  to  the 
treasurer  of  the  Mission. 

18.  The  Chairman  shall  preside  at  all  meet¬ 
ings  of  the  Mission,  call  special  meetings  of 
the  Mission  when  necessary,  and  perform 
such  other  duties  as  usually  devolve  upon 
such  officers. 

It).  The  Secretary  shall  keep  a  true  and 
faithful  record  of  all  the  proceedings  of  the 
Mission,  in  a  suitable  book  provided  for  that 
purpose,  and  transmit  copies  of  the  same  to 
the  Foreign  Mission  Secretary;  collect  and 
forward  promptly  the  annual  statistics  of 
the  Mission,  at  the  time  designated,  and 
such  other  work  as  may  be  required  by  his 
office. 

20.  The  Treasurer  shall  be  custodian  of 
the  funds  of  the  Mission,  paying  out  the 
same  under  direction  of  the  Mission,  as  per 
appropriations  made  by  the  Board,  and  in 
no  other  way;  taking  vouchers  for  all  pay¬ 
ments,  which  shall  be  regularly  marked  and 
numbered  and  filed  convenient  for  exami¬ 
nation  by  the  Auditing  Committee.  He 
shall  be  the  custodian  of  all  deeds  or  evi¬ 
dences  of  property  which  are  not  transmit¬ 
ted  to  the  Mission  Board.  He  shall  keep 
accurate  and  faithful  account  of  all  the 
financial  transactions  of  the  Mission,  and 
make  monthly  report  thereof  to  the  Treas¬ 
urer  of  the  Mission  Board.  Such  reports 

13 


shall  give  the  balance  at  the  beginning  of 
the  month,  an  itemized  statement  of  receipts 
and  expenditures,  and  the  balance  at  the 
end  of  the  month.  He  shall  keep  unexpend¬ 
ed  money  in  some  bank  approved  by  the  Mis¬ 
sion.  He  shall  keep  such  other  accounts  as 
may  be  necessary  for  a  perfect  understand¬ 
ing  of  the  financial  affairs  of  the  Mission, 
and  shall  preserve  all  letters  received  and 
copies  of  all  letters  sent,  on  the  business  of 
the  Mission.  These  accounts,  books  and  let¬ 
ters  shall  be  open  to  the  inspection  of  any 
member  of  the  Mission  at  any  reasonable 
time.  He  shall  in  no  case  loan  money  be¬ 
longing  to  the  Mission.  He  shall  in  no  case, 
either  directly  or  by  assuming  obligations 
for  the  future,  allow  to  be  expended  more 
than  was  authorized  by  the  Board,  except  in 
emergencies  arising  from  sickness  of  mis¬ 
sionaries  or  their  families,  or  like  circum¬ 
stances  of  urgency;  in  which  case  a  vote  of 
the  Mission  should  be  obtained  and  at  once 
reported  to  the  Board  for  its  sanction.  At  the 
close  of  each  year,  he  shall  forward  to  the 
Treasurer  of  the  Mission  Board  a  balance 
sheet  duly  audited,  corresponding  with  his 
monthly  statements,  showing  the  exact  con¬ 
dition  of  the  treasury,  and  a  certificate  of 
the  Auditing  Committee  of  the  Mission  as 
to  the  correctness  of  his  account  and  his 
final  showing. 

21.  At  the  end  of  the  year,  the  unexpended 
balance  of  the  (Japan)  general  appropria¬ 
tion  shall  become  part  of  a  maintenance 
fund  for  the  Mission. 

JURISDICTION  AND  DUTIES  OF  A  MISSION 

22.  The  Mission  has  the  general  care  and 
supervision  of  all  missionary  work  within  its 
limits.  All  questions  of  policy,  methods  and 

14 


expenditure,  are  subject  to  its  judgment, 
and  all  requests  requiring  the  action  of  the 
Board  should  be  accompanied  by  the  action 
of  the  Mission  upon  the  same.  Tours  of 
exploration  or  any  unusual  work  should  be 
undertaken  only  with  the  advice  of  the  Mis¬ 
sion. 

The  Mission  assigns,  and  in  general,  su¬ 
pervises  the  work  of  the  individual  mission¬ 
aries,  to  the  end  that  all  forms  of  labor  may 
have  the  benefit  of  united  counsel  and  may 
promote  the  interest  of  the  work  as  a  whole. 
It  is  proper,  of  course,  that  the  views  of  all 
missionaries  regarding  their  location  and 
work  should  be  heard  and  fully  considered; 
and  if  any  missionary  shall  be  dissatisfied 
with  the  action  of  the  Mission,  an  appeal  to 
the  Board  for  final  decision  can  be  made. 
The  Mission  may  suspend  a  member,  pend¬ 
ing  an  appeal  to  the  Mission  Board. 

23.  At  each  annual  meeting,  the  Mission 
shall  carefully  prepare  plans  and  estimates 
for  the  following  year,  for  the  work  as 
already  inaugurated.  Following  this,  a 
contingent  statement  may  be  made  of  addi¬ 
tional  objects  and  needs,  arranged  in  the 
order  of  their  importance,  any  or  all  of 
which  may  be  provided  for  as  the  income  of 
the  Board  may  allow. 

STATIONS 

24.  A  station  is  a  field  with  one  or  more 
missionary  residences.  Each  station  shall 
have  control  of  the  missionary  work  within 
its  field,  under  the  direction  of  the  Mission. 
New  stations  may  be  established  only  on  the 
action  of  the  Board,  but  recommendations 
of  the  Mission  are  always  to  be  carefully 
considered.  The  force  assigned  to  such  sta- 

15 


tions  should,  if  possible,  include  one  mis¬ 
sionary  of  experience. 

Each  station  may  have  its  own  Sub-treas¬ 
urer  and  Secretary.  (See  Section  17.) 

OUT-STATIONS 

25.  Regular  established  preaching  places 
within  the  bounds  of  the  station  are  desig¬ 
nated  as  out-stations. 


III.  General  Rules 

STATISTICAL  AND  FISCAL  YEAR 

26.  The  statistical  year  shall  begin  July  1 
and  close  June  30;  the  fiscal  year  shall  com¬ 
mence  January  1  and  close  December  31. 

REPORTS 

27.  Each  missionary  is  required  to  send 
quarterly  (quarters  to  run  with  the  statis¬ 
tical  year)  to  the  Foreign  Mission  Secretary 
at  least  a  brief  report  of  work  done  and 
condition  of  his  field,  with  such  facts,  inci¬ 
dents,  etc.,  as  may  be  interesting  and  help¬ 
ful  to  create  and  maintain  interest  in  the 
home  churches.  At  the  close  of  the  statis¬ 
tical  year,  an  annual  report  shall  be  sent, 
which  may  take  the  place  of  the  last  quar¬ 
terly  report. 


STATISTICS 

28.  The  Secretary  or  other  person  desig¬ 
nated  by  the  Mission,  shall  see  that  the  sta¬ 
tistics  of  the  entire  Mission  are  collected 
just  as  quickly  as  possible  after  the  close 
of  the  year  (June  30),  and  forwarded  to  the 
Foreign  Mission  Secretary  not  later  than 
the  middle  of  August  following. 

16 


THE  VERNACULAR 


29.  The  ability  to  read,  but  especially  to 
speak,  the  native  language  is  an  essential 
qualification  for  the  best  missionary  service. 

All  missionaries  sent  out  by  this  Board 
shall  be  required  to  pursue  study  courses 
equivalent  to  those  adopted  by  other  mis¬ 
sions,  in  order  that  they  may  gain  good 
working  command  of  the  vernacular. 

This  rule  or  its  equivalent  shall  apply  to 
all  Missions  and  missionaries  in  regard  to 
the  native  language  of  the  Mission. 

RENTALS 

30.  All  rents  for  necessary  buildings  for 
missionary  residences,  for  schools  and 
preaching  places,  shall  be  paid  by  the  Mis¬ 
sion.  Buildings  occupied  by  married  mis¬ 
sionaries  for  residences  that  are  owned  by 
the  Mission  Board  or  the  Mission  shall  be 
free  of  rent. 

Expenses  incurred  in  meetings  of  the  Mis¬ 
sion,  or  committees  thereof,  shall  be  paid 
from  the  treasury  of  the  Mission. 

OTHER  WORK 

31.  No  missionary  shall  engage  in  any  em¬ 
ployment  other  than  that  approved  by  the 
Mission  Board.  In  case  of  outside  work  so 
approved,  all  remuneration  therefrom  shall 
be  paid  into  the  treasury  of  the  Mission. 

The  following  was  adopted  by  the  Board 
at  its  session  in  October,  1899 : 

“That  we  allow  our  missionaries  to  do 
extra  work  in  teaching,  when  by  so  doing 
they  can  really  advance  the  interests  of 
legitimate  work,  but  in  no  case  shall  such 
work  be  allowed  simply  for  a  money  consid¬ 
eration.” 


17 


CAUTION 


32.  To  avoid  confusion,  missionaries  should 
refrain  from  making  personal  solicitation 
for  missionary  objects  from  churches,  Sun¬ 
day-schools,  Endeavor  Societies,  or  individ¬ 
uals,  in  the  home  field,  except  for  those  ob¬ 
jects  approved  by  the  Board,  and  in  all  cases 
the  funds  shall  go  through  the  regularly  au¬ 
thorized  channels. 

SHOULD  SETTLE  WITH  THE  MISSION  ON 
LEAVING  THE  FIELD 

,33.  Missionaries  leaving  the  Mission, 
whether  on  furlough  or  otherwise,  should 
always  bring  a  certified  statement  of  their 
account  with  the  Treasurer  of  the  Mission, 
settled  up  to  the  time  of  departure,  so  that 
their  accounts  with  the  Mission  may  be 
closed.  Afr-thq— gaktry  ceases  wbm — they 
leave-"  the  -fiicld-j  yhe  expense  of  the  home¬ 
coming  and  the  home  allowance  is  to  be 
charged  to  the  general  appropriation  for  the 
work  of  that  field.  Furlough  accounts  shall 
be  settled  with  the  Treasurer  of  the  Board 
in  America. 


HOME  MISSIONS 

To  further  the  interests  placed  in  charge 
of  this  department,  the  Mission  Board  has 
adopted  the  following  rules  for  its  guidance : 

GENERAL  AIM  AND  POLICY 

34.  The  general  aim  of  the  home  work  of 
the  mission  department  of  The  American 
Christian  Convention  shall  be  to  foster  and 
develop  self-propagating,  self-supporting 
churches  among  and  for  the  people  called 
Christians,  to  secure  proclamation  of  the 

18 


Gospel  among  the  unevangelized  in  our  home 
land,  and  to  secure  the  co-operation  of  all  of 
our  churches  and  people  in  our  mission  en¬ 
terprises. 

WHAT  WORK  SHALL  BE  SUPPORTED 

35.  It  shall  be  the  policy  of  this  Board  to 
lend  aid  to  the  following  causes,  and  such 
others  as  the  growth  of  the  general  work 
may  demand: 

1.  Support  of  missionaries  in  working  up 
new  fields. 

2.  Assistance  of  weak  churches  in  old 
and  new  fields. 

3.  Development  of  the  home  mission  in¬ 
terests  of  the  brotherhood,  and  the  enlist¬ 
ment  of  all  of  our  churches  in  support 
thereof. 

4.  Support  of  city  mission  work. 

5.  Securing  for  congregations  church 
properties  by  buying  sites  and  erecting 
church  buildings,  or  assisting  in  so  doing. 

METHODS  OF  SECURING  SUPPORT 

36.  The  Board  shall  follow  the  direction  of 
The  American  Christian  Convention  in  se¬ 
curing  one  general  offering  for  Home  Mis¬ 
sions  each  year,  and  in  addition  may  adopt 
such  special  methods  as  may  be  necessary. 
The  following  are  approved: 

1.  Creation  of  interest-bearing  funds  for 
general  work. 

2.  Securing  legacies,  bequests  and  other 
special  gifts. 

3.  The  Annuity  Plan. 

4.  Accumulation  of  special  funds  for 
church  building  and  similar  purposes. 

19 


5.  Securing  the  co-operation  of  the 
Woman’s  Board  for  Home  Missions,  its  aux¬ 
iliaries,  and  other  societies. 

SUPPORT  OF  HOME  MISSIONARIES 

37.  Wherever  the  needs  of  a  section  of  the 
country  may  seem  to  demand  and  Christian 
comity  may  permit,  new  fields  may  be 
opened  under  direction  of  this  Board,  by 
employment  of  persons  to  be  called  “home 
missionaries.”  Such  missionaries  may  re¬ 
ceive  support  from  the  treasury  of  the  mis¬ 
sion  department  in  sums  to  be  determined 
by  the  Board,  or  by  a  scale  of  salaries  to  be 
hereafter  formulated. 

HOME  MISSIONARIES 

38.  Ministers  or  others  in  charge  of 
churches  receiving  home  mission  support,  or 
engaged  in  opening  up  new  fields  and  estab¬ 
lishing  new  churches,  or  conducting  city 
missions,  and  field  work  which  includes  the 
care  and  strengthening  of  weak  churches, 
wholly  or  partly  under  the  direction  of  the 
Board  and  receiving  compensation  from  it, 
shall  be  termed  Home  Missionaries,  and 
shall  be  amenable  to  all  the  rules  governing 
the  work  of  home  missionaries  under  this 
department. 


APPOINTEES 

39.  No  minister  shall  be  employed  by  this 
Board  unless  he  shall  at  the  time  of  employ¬ 
ment  be  a  member  of  some  Christian  con¬ 
ference,  and  shall  be  endorsed  by  his  confer¬ 
ence  or  by  the  Executive  Committee  of  the 
same,  as  being  in  every  way  worthy,  and  as 
possessing  adaptabilities  for  the  work  which 
his  appointment  contemplates. 

20 


TERM  OF  APPOINTMENTS 


40.  Unless  otherwise  specified,  appoint¬ 
ments  of  home  missionaries  shall  be  for  the 
term  of  one  year. 

APPLICATIONS  OF  MISSIONARIES 

41.  All  persons  desiring  home  missionary 
work  and  support  shall  apply  in  regular 
form,  like  churches.  (See  Applications  of 
Churches.) 

REPORTS  OF  HOME  MISSIONARIES 

42.  All  missionaries  in  the  home  field  who 
receive  financial  help  from  this  Board  shall 
be  required  to  give  a  statistical  report  quar¬ 
terly,  as  per  blanks  furnished  by  the  Mis¬ 
sion  Secretary;  also,  at  least  quarterly,  and 
on  a  sheet  separate  from  the  statistical  re¬ 
port,  items,  facts,  incidents,  concerning  the 
field  or  the  work,  that  may  be  given  to  the 
public  in  view  of  creating  and  maintaining 
an  interest  in  home  mission  work.  Failure 
to  so  report  shall  be  sufficient  cause  for  re¬ 
voking  or  withholding  payment  of  appro¬ 
priations. 

CHURCHES  ELIGIBLE  FOR  SUPPORT 

43.  Weak  churches  in  both  old  and  new 
fields,  or  churches  which  have  suffered  from 
unavoidable  calamity,  are  eligible  for  home 
missionary  aid,  in  conformity  with  the  sec¬ 
tion  on  “Applications  of  Churches.” 

WHAT  ARE  MISSION  CHURCHES? 

44.  All  churches  receiving  home  mission 
aid  shall  be  called  “home  mission  churches,” 
and  as  such  shall  be  amenable  to  all  the 
rules  governing  home  mission  churches. 

21 


APPLICATIONS  FOR  AID 

45.  All  applications  of  churches  for  aid 
should  be  made  by  the  church  itself  and  be 
endorsed  by  the  conference  of  which  the 
church  is  a  member,  or  by  its  Executive 
Board.  Such  certified  application  should  be 
in  the  hands  of  the  Home  Mission  Secretary 
not  later  than  October  1  of  each  year. 

Conferences  or  other  organizations  apply¬ 
ing  for  aid  for  churches  or  missionaries  un¬ 
der  their  immediate  direction  should  make 
application  in  the  same  manner  as  churches. 

The  Home  Mission  Secretary  shall  require 
of  all  applicants  full  information  concern¬ 
ing  the  field  or  work  involved,  and  shall  pre¬ 
sent  the  same  to  the  Board  or  Council  as 
requested. 

(Question  blanks  to  accompany  applica¬ 
tion  for  aid  should  be  secured  from  the  Mis¬ 
sion  Secretary.) 

REPORTS  OF  MISSION  CHURCHES 

46.  All  churches  receiving  missionary  aid, 
not  otherwise  reported,  shall  report  in  writ¬ 
ing  to  the  Home  Mission  Secretary,  in  the 
same  manner  as  required  of  Home  Mission¬ 
aries. 

CONFERENCE  MEMBERSHIP  OF  CHURCH 

47.  All  home  mission  churches  seeking 
financial  aid  from  this  Board  must  be  mem¬ 
bers  of  some  Christian  conference,  unless  so 
isolated  as  to  make  such  membership  im¬ 
practicable. 

MISSION  CHURCHES  TO  TAKE  COLLECTIONS 

48.  All  ministers  and  churches  receiving 
aid  from  the  home  mission  funds  of  this 
Board  shall  be  required  to  take  or  cause  to 

22 


be  taken  all  the  general  collections  required 
by  The  American  Christian  Convention.  A 
failure  to  take  any  of  said  collections  shall 
forfeit  any  further  payment  by  this  Board, 
unless  a  reason  satisfactory  to  the  Home 
Mission  Secretary  can  be  given  therefor. 

MISSION  CHURCHES  ENGAGING  OR 
DISMISSING  PASTORS 

49.  Mission  churches  shall  be  required  to 
consult  the  Home  Mission  Secretary  con¬ 
cerning  the  engagement  or  dismissal  of  pas¬ 
tors,  and  no  payment  shall  be  made  to  any 
pastor  until  he  has  been  approved  by  the 
Board  or  Council.  Failure  to  so  consult  the 
Secretary  may  be  deemed  sufficient  cause 
for  revoking  appropriations  for  help  from 
mission  funds. 

DEEDS  OF  MISSION  CHURCHES 

50.  Section  1.  The  Board  may  require  as 
a  further  condition  of  appropriations  that 
churches  deed  their  property  to  the  Mission 
Board  of  the  Christian  Church,  the  same  to 
be  held  by  the  said  Board  in  trust  for  the 
exclusive  use  of  the  church  so  deeding  dur¬ 
ing  its  visibility  as  a  Christian  Church,  the 
same  to  be  controlled  by  the  local  Board  of 
Trustees  of  the  church,  with  rights  and 
privileges  unmolested. 

Section  2.  The  Mission  Board  not  claiming 
any  rights  in  the  property  thus  deeded  to 
them  during  the  visible  existence  of  the 
same,  as  a  Christian  church,  will  not  hold 
itself  liable  for  taxes,  insurance,  repairs  or 
damages  to  the  same;  but  may  if  deemed 
best,  make  appropriations  as  may  be  neces¬ 
sary  to  save  the  property  from  decay  or  de¬ 
struction. 


23 


Section  3.  A  church  deeding  its  property 
as  in  Section  1,  shall  be  deemed  to  have  lost 
its  visibility  as  a  Christian  church  when  it 
ceases  to  occupy  the  property  for  regular 
religious  services  for  a  period  of  two  years, 
or  shall  have  united  with  another  denomina¬ 
tion,  or  shall  have  ceased  to  co-operate  with 
the  Christians  as  represented  by  The  Amer¬ 
ican  Christian  Convention.  A  failure  for 
two  consecutive  years  to  represent  itself  at 
the  conference  of  which  it  is  a  member,  or 
refusal  to  take  the  collections  as  ordered  by 
the  General  Convention  for  two  years,  shall 
be  interpreted  as  having  ceased  to  “co-oper¬ 
ate.”  The  Mission  Board  may  then  proceed  to 
take  possession  of  said  property  and  to  sell 
the  same  as  soon  as  practicable.  The  Board 
may  proceed  sooner  than  above  stated,  if  the 
church  shall  formally  give  up  its  claim. 

Section  4.  The  money  obtained  from  the 
sale  of  said  church  shall  be  placed  at  inter¬ 
est  or  otherwise  invested  where  it  will  bring 
an  income,  the  income  to  go  into  the  Mission 
Treasury  for  general  use,  the  principal  to 
be  kept  for  a  period  of  five  years  subject 
to  the  following  rules: 

If  a  new  church  shall  be  built  in  the  same 
locality  where  one  has  been  sold  as  above  by 
the  Mission  Board,  within  the  period  of  five 
years,  then  the  proceeds  of  the  former  sale 
shall  be  returned  to  them  to  be  put  into  the 
new  house,  always  providing  that  the  deed 
of  the  new  property  be  made  to  the  Mission 
Board  as  above,  subject  to  the  rules  of  this 
article,  and  in  this  and  above  Sections.  If 
at  the  end  of  five  years  the  money  is  not 
returned  for  the  benefit  of  new  property, 
then  it  shall  be  retained  as  a  permanent 
fund,  only  the  income  to  be  used  for  mission¬ 
ary  purposes,  under  the  direction  of  the 
Board. 


24 


The  above  rule  shall  apply  to  all  mission 
property  acquired  for  meeting  purposes.  . 

TERM  OF  MISSION  HELP 

51.  1.  Churches  shall  be  urged  and  en¬ 
couraged  to  assume  all  pastoral  support  and 
other  legitimate  obligations  at  the  earliest 
possible  moment,  to  relieve  the  mission 
treasury. 

2.  Mission  help  shall  be  withdrawn  as 
soon  as,  in  the  judgment  of  the  Board,  the 
best  interests  of  the  work  will  warrant. 

3.  Five  consecutive  years  shall  be  the 
general  limit  during  which  any  home  mis¬ 
sion  church  may  receive  appropriations  from 
this  Board. 

CONDITIONS  OF  APPROPRIATIONS 

52.  1.  Regular  appropriations  shall  be  for 
one  year  from  January  1  following  the 
Board  meeting.  Special  appropriations 
shall  be  for  the  length  of  time  specified. 

2.  No  appropriations  shall  be  made  ex¬ 
cept  upqn  application  setting  forth  definitely 
the  financial  and  other  conditions  of  work  of 
churches  to  be  helped,  and  stating  the  spe¬ 
cific  object  for  which  appropriations  are 
asked,  and  giving  sufficient  information  to 
enable  the  Board  to  form  a  just  conception 
of  the  situation  and  need.  Failure  to  com¬ 
ply  with  this  rule  shall  be  deemed  sufficient 
ground  for  denying  an  application. 

This  rule  must  be  strictly  observed. 

3.  In  general  the  Board  shall  avoid  mak¬ 
ing  appropriations  to  square  up  church 
debts  or  make  up  arrearages  in  pastor’s  sal¬ 
aries;  provided  always  that  the  Board  may 
relieve  distress  caused  by  calamity  or  con¬ 
tingencies  not  avoidable. 

25 


4.  The  policy  of  the  Board  shall  be  to 
follow  the  rule  of  putting  a  large  sum  an¬ 
nually  into  some  center  where  a  strong 
church  can  be  built  up. 

5.  All  appropriations  for  work  in  the 
home  field  are  considered  due  at  the  end  of 
each  quarter  or  fractional  part  thereof  for 
work  done  and  reported  by  the  regularly  ap¬ 
pointed  missionary  or  missionary  pastor.  If 
said  missionary  or  missionary  pastor  shall 
cease  work  in  the  church  or  field  for  which 
payment  of  appropriation  is  made,  payment 
of  appropriation  shall  thereupon  stop  until 
another  pastor  or  missionary  shall  begin 
work.  All  appropriations  end  with  the  fiscal 
year  for  which  they  are  made,  and  no  money 
will  be  paid  for  such  time  within  the  year 
as  shall  not  be  occupied  by  regular  pastor 
or  missionary. 

PRO-RATA  PAYMENTS 

53.  If  at  any  time  the  available  amount  of 
cash  for  payment  of  appropriations  shall  be 
insufficient  to  meet  the  appropriations,  then 
■pro-rata  payments  shall  be  made  on  the  sev¬ 
eral  appropriations,  it  being  understood  that 
the  deficits  shall  be  made  up  as  soon  as  the 
funds  will  warrant. 

BUILDING  FUND 

54.  1.  A  fund  shall  be  created,  to  be 
known  as  the  “Building  Fund,”  for  the  pur¬ 
pose  of  assisting  churches  in  securing  sites 
for  church  buildings  and  parsonages,  and 
erecting  the  same,  preference  in  this  work 
to  be  given  to  Mission  churches  organized 
under  direction  of  the  Board. 

2.  The  Building  Fund  shall  not  be  given 
outright,  but  shall  be  loaned  under  regula- 

26 


tions  made  by  the  Board,  provided  that  gifts 
may  be  made  from  interest  on  said  funds. 

3.  The  Board  shall  make  and  publish 
rules  for  the  administration  of  the  Building 
Fund,  which  shall  be  a  part  of  the  By-Laws 
of  the  Board. 

BUILDING  FUND  REGULATIONS 

55.  1.  Soliciting  funds.  In  the  creation 

of  the  Building  Fund  the  following  methods 
may  be  used : 

(1)  Direct  appeal  to  churches  and  indi¬ 
viduals. 

(2)  Solicitation  of  gifts  from  churches, 
individuals,  conferences  or  other  organiza¬ 
tions  for  special  funds  to  stand  in  the  name 
of  the  donors. 

(3)  By  annuities. 

(4)  By  securing  bequests,  and  notes 
payable  at  death. 

(5)  The  Board  may  fix  a  certain  per¬ 
centage  of  the  regular  receipts  of  any  one 
year  to  be  turned  into  the  Building  Fund. 

2.  Applications  for  aid.  (1)  Loans 
shall  be  made  to  applicants  in  the  order  that 
the  applications  are  made,  except  that 
churches  under  the  care  of  the  Mission 
Board  shall  be  given  the  preference,  and 
provided  that  donors  may  give  certain  local¬ 
ities  a  preference  in  the  creation  of  special 
funds. 

(2)  Churches  applying  for  aid  must  be¬ 
long  to  a  Christian  conference,  or  be  under 
the  care  of  the  Mission  Board  directly.  If 
the  former  they  must  have  the  endorsement 
of  the  conference  the  same  as  applicants  for 
other  aid. 

(3)  Loans  shall  not  be  made  for 
amounts  to  exceed  one-third  the  value  of  the 

27 


property  when  completed,  and  shall  be  for 
final  payments  on  the  same,  the  property 
having  no  other  encumbrance. 

(4)  No  loans  shall  be  made  to  pay  a 
debt  contracted  more  than  two  years  previ¬ 
ous  to  the  time  the  application  is  made. 

3.  Repayment  of  loans.  (1)  Provision 
shall  be  made  for  repayment  of  loans,  with 
interest  at  not  less  than  one-half  of  the  cur¬ 
rent  rate  in  the  locality  where  the  loan  is 
made. 

(2)  Loans  may  be  made  for  a  period  not 
longer  than  ten  years.  Not  less  than  ten 
per  cent,  of  the  loan  must  be  repaid  each 
year  with  the  interest,  provided  that  prin¬ 
cipal  and  interest  may  be  paid  in  equal  an¬ 
nual  installments,  and  provided  that  a  re¬ 
bate  of  a  portion  of  the  final  payment  may 
be  made  if  all  previous  payments  have  been 
promptly  met. 

(3)  Funds  secured  by  the  annuity  plan 
shall  not  be  loaned  at  a  lower  rate  of  inter¬ 
est  than  that  paid  to  the  annuitant. 

4.  Security.  (1)  Churches  applying  for 
loan  must  furnish  abstract  of  title  and  all 
necessary  information  concerning  the  same. 

(2)  The  loan  shall  be  secured  by  a  first 
mortgage  on  the  property,  and  by  collecta¬ 
ble  subscription,  or  by  personal  bond,  or 
both,  as  the  Board  may  require. 

(3)  Buildings  upon  which  loans  are 
made  must  be  fully  insured  in  a  company, 
or  companies,  approved  by  the  Board  and  in 
its  favor. 

(4)  In  case  of  a  failure  to  repay  the 
loan,  or  any  part  of  it,  the  Board  shall  take 
legal  proceedings  to  collect  the  same,  pro¬ 
vided  that  the  time  of  payment  may  be  ex¬ 
tended  in  case  of  emergency. 

28 


5.  Co-operation.  Churches  receiving  aid 
by  gift  or  loan  will  be  expected  to  conform 
to  the  regulation  of  the  Board  the  same  as 
churches  receiving  aid  for  pastor’s  salary, 
or  current  expenses. 

RULES  GOVERNING  CITY  MISSIONS. 

WHAT  IS  A  CITY  MISSION? 

56.  Any  work  undertaken  at  the  instance 
of  this  Board,  or  supported  by  mission 
funds,  in  cities,  looking  either  to  the  estab¬ 
lishment  of  city  churches  or  to  the  procla¬ 
mation  of  the  Gospel  and  reclamation  of 
mankind  without  hope  of  thereby  establish¬ 
ing  city  churches,  shall  be  called  a  “city 
mission.” 


CITY  MISSIONS 

57.  City  missions  and  missionaries  shall,  in 
general,  be  subject  to  the  rules  governing 
home  mission  churches  and  other  home  mis¬ 
sionaries  (the  exceptions  being  such  as  the 
nature  of  the  work  may  necessitate),  as  to 
support,  appointment,  application  for  aid, 
etc. 


AUXILIARY  HELP 

58.  It  is  deemed  advisable  to  secure  the  co¬ 
operation  each  year  of  the  Woman’s  Home 
Board,  and  any  other  home  mission  boards, 
in  behalf  of  some  specified  home  mission 
work. 


29 


CONSTITUTION 


3 


Article  I.  Name.  The  name  of  this 
association  shall  be  “The  Mission  Board  of 
the  Christian  Church,”  being  the  same  as 
and  including  “The  American  Christian 
Church  Extension  Society,”  “The  Children’s 
Mission,”  “The  Missionary  and  Church  Ex¬ 
tension  Department  of  The  American  Chris¬ 
tian  Convention.” 

Art.  II.  Object.  The  object  of  this 
Board  shall  be  to  diffuse  the  knowledge  and 
religion  of  Jesus  Christ  by  means  of  mis¬ 
sions  through  the  world. 


Art.  III.  Membership.  The  members  of 
this  Board  shall  be  the  Home  Mission  Secre¬ 
tary,  the  Foreign  Mission  Secretary,  and 
«-erght  other  persons,  elected  quadrennially 
by  The  American  Christian  Convention;  and 
such  other  persons  as  may  in  the  future 
be  designated  for  Board  duty  by  The  Amer¬ 
ican  Christian  Convention.  Said  Secre¬ 
taries  and' -eight;  other  persons  shall  be  di- 
rectors  of  the  Home  Mission  and  Foreign 
Mission  Departments,  as  hereinafter  pro¬ 
vided  for. 


The  Board  may,  for  cause,  declare  vacan¬ 
cies  in  its  membership  (except  that  the 
Home  and  Foreign  Secretaries  shall  be 
removed  only  by  action  of  the  Conven¬ 
tion  or  its  Executive  Board),  and  may  fill 
vacancies  by  election  at  any  annual  meet¬ 
ing. 


30 


Art.  IV.  Officers.  The  officers  of  this 
Board  shall  be  a  President,  a  Recording 
Secretary,  two  Executive  Secretaries  (who 
shall  be  the  Home  and  Foreign  Mission  Sec¬ 
retaries  respectively),  a  Treasurer,  and 
such  other  officers  as  the  Board  may  deem 
necessary.  Either  Executive  Secretary 
shall  be  eligible  for  the  treasurership. 

Art.  V.  The  Mission  Council.  The 
Mission  Council  shall  consist  of  three  per¬ 
sons  from  each  Department,  including  the 
President  of  this  Board,  the  Home  and  For¬ 
eign  Mission  Secretaries,  and  such  other 
members  as  the  Board  may  elect. 

Art.  VI.  Duties  of  Officers,  (a)  It 
shall  be  the  duty  of  the  President  to  preside 
at  the  meetings  of  the  Board  and  of  the 
Council. 

(b)  The  Recording  Secretary  shall  keep 
a  faithful  record  of  all  proceedings  of  the 
Board  and  the  Council;  furnish  the  Mission 
Secretaries  and  the  Treasurer  with  a  tran¬ 
script  of  such  portions  of  the  proceedings  of 
the  Board  and  Council  as  may  be  necessary 
for  their  information,  give  notice  of  meet¬ 
ings,  and  such  other  duties  as  might  proper¬ 
ly  pertain  to  such  office. 

(c)  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Home  and 
Foreign  Mission  Secretaries  (also  called 
Executive  Secretaries)  to  exercise  general 
supervision  and  management  of  their  re¬ 
spective  departments  of  the  missionary 
work  of  the  Convention,  and  to  perform 
such  other  duties  as  the  Board  or  the  Mis¬ 
sion  Council  may  require. 

(d)  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Treasurer 
to  take  charge  of  the  money  and  other  prop¬ 
erty  belonging  to  the  Board,  and  to  give 
receipts  therefor;  to  keep  safely  all  the 
money  and  funds  of  the  Board,  and  all 

31 


evidences  of  property ;  to  keep  fair  and 
accurate  accounts  of  all  the  sums  received 
and  expended;  to  invest  money  with  the 
advice  and  consent  •  of  the  Board  or  of  a 
standing  committee  appointed  for  that  pur¬ 
pose,  and  make  payments  and  remittances 
according  to  the  directions  of  the  Board, 
to  exhibit  his  books,  accounts,  vouchers,  and 
evidences  of  property  whenever  required  by 
the  Board  or  its  Auditing  Committee;  to 
make  annual  statements  of  receipts  and 
payments,  and  of  the  condition  of  the  per¬ 
manent  funds,  for  the  information  of  the 
Board,  and  to  perform  such  other  acts  as 
may  be  required  for  the  full  and  faithful 
discharge  of  the  duties  of  his  office,  and  to 
give  such  bonds  as  shall  be  satisfactory  to 
the  Mission  Board. 

(e)  The  Mission  Council  shall  be  Execu¬ 
tive  Committee  of  the  Board,  and  shall  do 
such  work  as  is  delegated  to  it;  but  it  shall 
have  power  to  appropriate  money  only  upon 
direction  of  and  within  limits  set  by  the 
Board.  It  shall  keep  records  of  each  meet¬ 
ing  and  transmit  them  to  the  Recording 
Secretary  of  the  Board. 

Art.  VII.  Department  Organizations. 
The  Home  Mission  Secretary  and  the  four 
persons  elected  by  The  American  Christian 
Convention  to  serve  with  him,  and  the  For¬ 
eign  Mission  Secretary  and  four  persons 
similarly  elected  to  serve  with  him,  shall 
form  Boards  of  Directors  for  their  respec¬ 
tive  departments,  and  each  Board  shall  or¬ 
ganize  by  electing  annually  President,  Re¬ 
cording  Secretary,  Treasurer,  Mission  Coun¬ 
cil  consisting  of  three  members,  and  such 
other  officers  as  may  be  deemed  necessary. 
The  Home  and  Foreign  Mission  Secretaries 
shall  be  ex-officio  Executive  Secretaries 
and  Council  members  of  their  respective 
departments. 


Art.  VIII.  Duties  of  Department  Or¬ 
ganization  Officers.  All  officers  of  the 
above-named  departments  shall  perform 
duties  respectively  similar  to  those  herein¬ 
before  specified  for  officers  of  the  General 
Board. 

Art.  IX.  Board  and  Council  Meetings. 
This  Board  shall  meet  annually,  or  oftener, 
if  it  shall  so  elect.  Its  meetings  may  be 
held  at  any  convenient  or  suitable  place 
in  the  United  States  or  Canada.  The  De¬ 
partment  Boards  of  Directors  shall  hold 
their  annual  meetings  at  the  same  time  and 
place,  separately  or  jointly,  until  such  time 
as  they  become  separate  corporations. 
Council  meetings  may  be  held  as  necessity 
demands. 

Art.  X.  Rules  and  By-Laws.  The 
Board  may  adopt  such  By-Laws  or  Rules  of 
Order  for  the  government  of  its  own  pro¬ 
ceedings,  and  of  the  Mission  Council,  as  it 
may  deem  needful,  if  such  regulations  be 
not  contrary  to  this  Constitution.  The  De¬ 
partment  Boards  of  Directors  shall  be  at 
liberty  to  adopt  such  By-Laws  and  Rules  of 
Procedure  as  may  be  consistent  with  this 
Constitution,  and  the  general  purpose  of 
this  organization. 

Art.  XI.  Quorum.  A  majority  of  the 
members,  either  of  the  general  or  depart¬ 
ment  Boards  or  the  Mission  Council,  shall 
constitute  a  quorum  for  the  transaction  of 
business  in  their  respective  bodies. 

Art.  XII.  Amendments.  This  Consti¬ 
tution  may  be  altered  or  amended  at  any 
annual  meeting  by  a  vote  of  two-thirds  of 
the  members  present,  provided  notice  of 
said  amendments  shall  have  been  given  in 
writing  to  each  member  three  months  prev¬ 
ious,  or  upon  the  recommendation  of  the 
Mission  Council. 


33 


BY-LAWS 

Article  I.  Meetings. 

The  Board  and  its  Home  and  Foreign 
Departments  shall  hold  meetings  annually, 
in  October,  except  in  Quadrennial  year, 
when  the  time  may  be  a  month  later,  or 
as  may  be  fixed  upon;  special  meetings  of 
the  Board  may  be  held  on  the  call  of  the 
Mission  Council,  and  meetings  of  the  Coun¬ 
cil  may  be  held  on  call  of  the  President. 
Department  Council  meetings  shall  be  called 
by  the  respective  Executive  Secretaries. 
The  meetings  shall  be  held  at  the  Mission 
Rooms  in  Dayton,  Ohio,  or  where  they  may 
be  appointed. 

Article  II.  Duties  of  Mission  Board. 

Section  1.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the 
Board  to  have  the  general  supervision  of  the 
missionary  work  under  the  auspices  of  The 
American  Christian  Convention,  both  under 
what  is  called  “Home  Missions,”  (in  the 
United  States  and  Canada)  and  “Foreign 
Missions,”  (in  Japan  and  other  foreign 
countries) . 

Section  2.  To  devise  and  work  plans, 
with  the  co-operation  and  aid  of  the  Wom¬ 
an’s  Home  and  Woman’s  Foreign  Boards, 
for  increasing  and  maintaining  missionary 
interest  in  the  home  churches  and  for  ad¬ 
vancing  and  enlarging  the  missionary  work 
of  the  denomination,  both  in  the  home  and 
foreign  fields. 

Section  3.  After  considering  carefully 
the  financial  condition  of  the  Board,  to 
make  such  appropriations  for  the  work  for 
the  current  year,  both  in  the  home  and  for¬ 
eign  fields,  as  the  needs  may  demand  and 
the  funds  justify. 


34 


Section  4.  To  appoint  home  mission¬ 
aries;  and  counsel  and  assist  in  securing 
pastors  for  home  mission  churches;  and 
appoint  missionaries  to  the  foreign  fields, 
as  suitable  persons  may  be  secured  and 
funds  may  be  provided  for  their  support. 

Section  5.  To  fix  the  salaries  of  mis¬ 
sionaries,  the  Recording  Secretary,  the  Mis¬ 
sion  Secretaries,  and  Treasurer  of  the  Mis¬ 
sion  Board,  and  provide  for  such  clerical 
help  as  the  work  may  require;  also  provide 
for  the  necessary  administrative  expenses, 
Board  meetings,  printing,  etc. 

Article  III.  Auditing  Committee. 

At  each  annual  meeting  the  Board  shall 
appoint  an  Auditing  Committee  for  the  cur¬ 
rent  year,  not  necessarily  members  of  the 
Board,  who  shall  make  thorough  quarterly 
examinations  of  the  accounts  of  the  Treas¬ 
urer  and  the  securities  of  the  Board,  certi¬ 
fying  to  their  correctness,  and  report  to 
the  Board. 

Article  IV.  Standing  Committees. 

The  Board  may  appoint  standing  commit¬ 
tees  as  it  may  deem  wise,  to  report  at  the 
next  session  after  appointment  on  specific 
fields  or  lines  of  work. 

Article  V.  On  Avoiding  Debt. 

The  Board  shall  studiously  avoid  con¬ 
tracting  debt.  In  view  of  this  it  may  be 
considered  safe,  as  a  rule,  to  make  the  re¬ 
ceipts  of  one  year  the  basis  for  appropria¬ 
tions  the  following  year. 

Article  VI.  Funds  to  Be  Kept  Separate. 

All  moneys  contributed  specially  for 
“Home  Missions”  shall  be  used  only  for  the 
work  in  the  home  field,  and  all  moneys  con- 

35 


tributed  for  “Foreign  Missions”  shall  be 
used  only  for  work  in  foreign  lands.  Each 
fund  shall  bear  its  legitimate  proportion  of 
the  administrative  expenses. 

Article  VII.  Who  Shall  Execute 
Official  Papers. 

Whenever  it  is  necessary  for  this  incor¬ 
poration  to  execute  deeds  or  other  legal 
papers,  the  President  and  Secretary  of  the 
Board,  as  such,  are  hereby  empowered  to 
execute  the  same,  provided  that  in  case  of 
deed  or  transfer  of  property  the  Mission 
Board  shall,  by  special  resolution,  authorize 
the  same. 

Article  VIII.  Correspondence  Votes. 

Necessary  business  may  De  transacted  by 
correspondence  vote;  but  one  negative  vote 
shall  defeat  a  measure. 

Article  IX.  Manual  a  Part  of  By-Laws. 

The  Manual  adopted  by  the  Mission 
Board,  giving  rules  and  regulations  where¬ 
by  its  work  of  missions  shall  be  conducted, 
shall  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby  made,  a 
part  of  the  By-Laws  of  this  incorporation. 

(On  quorums  see  Constitution,  Article 
XI.) 

Article  X.  Order  of  Business. 

The  following  shall  be  the  order  of  busi¬ 
ness  for  meetings: 

1.  Devotions. 

2.  Reading  of  minutes. 

3.  Unfinished  business. 

4.  Routine  matter. 

5.  Report  of  Mission  Secretaries. 

6.  Report  of  Mission  Treasurer. 

7.  Report  of  Auditing  Committee. 

8.  Report  of  Standing  Committees. 

36 


9.  Report  on  The  Christian  Missionary 
and  other  missionary  literature. 

10.  Report  of  Home  Department. 

11.  Report  of  Foreign  Department. 

12.  Report  of  special  committees. 

13.  New  business. 

Article  XI.  General  Board  to  Ratify. 

Before  the  close  of  annual  sessions,  each 
department  shall  report  to  the  general 
Board  its  proceedings,  including  money  ap¬ 
propriations,  for  ratification;  and  such  rati¬ 
fication  shall  be  necessary  before  appro¬ 
priations  may  be  paid. 

Article  XII.  Field  Secretary. 

1.  A  field  secretary  may  be  put  into  the 
general  field  to  work  up  general  missionary 
interests  and  spirit,  develop  missionary  en¬ 
terprises,  secure  funds  by  any  of  the  meth¬ 
ods  approved  by  the  Board  or  specified  in 
the  Manual  or  these  rules,  and  to  superin¬ 
tend  local  field  work,  under  the  direction 
of  the  Board  or  Mission  Secretaries,  in 
fields  already  being  worked  or  hereafter  to 
be  opened  or  developed. 

2.  The  said  Secretary  shall  be  paid  a 
reasonable  salary  and  expenses  as  may  be 
agreed  upon;  provided  that  the  said  agent 
shall  not  be  kept  in  the  field  to  incur  debts 
above  the  probable  sum  the  current  receipts 
applicable  for  said  purpose  for  the  year  will 
warrant. 

Article  XIII.  Duties  of  Mission  Council. 

The  duties  of  the  Mission  Council  shall 
be  to  advise  with  the  Mission  Secretaries  as 
to  the  work,  both  in  the  home  and  foreign 
fields,  and  whatever  else  may  be  assigned 
to  it  by  the  Board,  and  to  keep  record  of  its 
proceedings,  reporting  to  the  general  Board 
at  its  annual  session. 

37 


Article  XIV.  Permanent  Funds. 

Permanent  funds  bearing  interest  shall 
be  created  by  means  of  endowments,  an¬ 
nuities,  legacies,  etc.,  which  shall  be  invest¬ 
ed  and  managed  after  the  conservative 
manner  now  followed  by  this  Board. 
They  shall  not  be  used  to  meet  current  bills. 

Article  XV.  Amendments  of  the  Manual. 

The  rules  of  the  Manual  shall  be  subject 
to  change  or  addition  from  time  to  time, 
as  growth  may  demand,  and  shall  be  in  effect 
immediately  upon  their  adoption  by  this 
Board. 

Article  XVI.  Amendments  of  By-Laws. 

The  By-Laws  may  be  amended  at  any 
regular  meeting  of  the  Board  by  a  vote  of 
two-thirds  of  all  the  members  present, 
notice  having  been  given  one  month 
previous. 


38 


FORM  FOR  BEQUEST 

Persons  disposed  to  make  bequests  for 
mission  purposes,  by  will,  are  requested  to 
observe  the  following  form: 

I  give  and  bequeath  to  the  “Mission  Beard 
of  the  Christian  Church,”  incorporated 
under  the  laws  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  the 

sum  of .  Dollars,  (if  for  any 

special  line  of  work  mention  it  here),  to  be 
paid  to  the  Treasurer  of  the  Board,  whose 
receipt  shall  be  a  sufficient  discharge  for 
the  same. 


FORM  FOR  A  DEVISE  OF 
REAL  ESTATE 

I  give  and  devise  to  the  “Mission  Board 
of  the  Christian  Church,”  incorporated  un¬ 
der  the  laws  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  the 
following  lands  and  premises,  that  is  to 

say:  . 

To  have  and  to  hold  the  same,  with  the 
appurtenances,  to  the  said  Board,  its  suc¬ 
cessors  and  assigns  forever. 


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A  monthly  missionary  magazine,  well  illus¬ 
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about  the  Home  and  Foreign  Missions  of 
the  Christian  Church. 

50  GENTS  A  YEAR 


Cash  commission  paid  to  authorized 
solicitors. 

THE  CHRISTIAN  MISSIONARY 

Dayton,  Ohio 


CHURCH  FINANCES 

Everybody  helping. 

Weekly  offerings. 

More  money  raised. 

Benevolences  easily  cared  for. 

Good  spiritual  effect. 

Successful  tested  method. 

Good  Christianity  using  good  business. 


Write  the  undersigned  for  information 
about  the  Every-Member  Canvass  and 
Weekly  Offering,  the  best  plan  for  church 
finances  so  far  employed. 

OMER  S.  THOMAS,  M.  T.  MORRILL, 

C.  P.  A.  Building,  Dayton,  Ohio 


